Does the Building Department Know Where Walgreens Is?

 

We know that in the past year or so the Lawrenceburg Walgreens on Military Street and the Florence location on Dr. Hicks Boulevard have been the subject of prank (phishing?) letters to longtime customers, but it seems the Florence Building Department has moved the North Florence Walgreens (actually out of business since February) from Wood Avenue to Pine Street. It is on the corner, but we're not sure what Alexa will tell you when you ask for a location on Pine.

There's more bad news; the North Florence KFC is also a goner. That leaves: McDonald's, Taco Bell, Wok 'n' Roll, VooDoo Wings, and Big Man's Barbecue, at least if you want a drive-thru at Seven-Points.

Someone please purchase these two locations and turn them into something really fast and really good! They already have a built-in window and are in high-traffic areas. We're waiting...

This is Alabama!

 

If you can truthfully say you never read The Daily Mail, you're in the minority. Look closely at the three trending stories listed above. All present child abuse in this state. Yes, we know that we have better reporting than at any time in our history, but what produces such criminals?

We have a man who raped and killed a five year-old who was sold to him by her mother. We have grown and married women with college degrees having sex with 14 year-olds. We have a mother who leaves her toddler in her hot car while she dumpster dives, then naps.

DHR is a joke. Many churches are a joke. Even much post-secondary education in this state is a joke.

Just this past week we were told we were a fool to have never moved from the cesspool (their words) that is the Shoals. We may not be able to identify what we need, but we can certainly identify what we don't need:

* Mayors who play Three-Card Monty with our tax money.

* Mayors who take their spite out on animals.

* Legislators who think a pregnant rape victim isn't worth saving.

* Governors who don't want employees to be able to even vote on a union.

* Citizens who keep re-electing these imbeciles.

But it's not all bad:

Publix Pothole is 8" Deep

 

Publix tried to blow Bill Griffin off over the eight foot wide/eight inch deep pothole near its "upscale" supermarket. It didn't work. Councilman Griffin has spoken to David Koonce of the street department and things are getting done.

Eight inches deep? A child could drown in that pothole, but Publix is attempting to save a few bucks?

Now it's time to ask why Handy Dandy Andy couldn't have done something like this...

Pre-Born or Just Unborn?

 

We had some questions/comments on the unborn v. pre-born issue. Interestingly, they were all from men who probably don't know at least one very important statistic about birth in the U.S. and other so-called advanced countries.

We are not discussing the 51% or more of fertilized eggs that don't attach to the uterine wall to complete conception, but established pregnancies in the first trimester. 10% to 20% end in spontaneous abortions. 

If we presented 10 pregnant social workers at a seminar on mother/infant mortality, it would be perfectly correct to introduce them as ten experts along with their unborn offspring.

It would be totally incorrect to introduce them as ten social workers and their pre-born offspring. Sadly, we can expect one or two of them to lose their pregnancy before it enters the second trimester. 

Alabama - where 36.4 women out of 100,000 die during childbirth...

Publix Pothole Page

 

It's not every pothole that has its own Facebook page. Sheffield is now officially behind in the race for the deepest pothole. The one at Publx/Home Depot has rushed ahead.

Of course, the Publix crater is on private property, but it has so many more admirers. C'mon Sheffield; we believe your potholes are better...er...worse...or something.

Publix Pothole

John Eidsmoe: Proof that Figures Don't Lie, but...You Know the Rest

 

When John Eidsmoe puts his name on a byline in 1812 News, he invariably uses the signature "Col. John Eidsmoe." That would be fine if he were one, but he's not.

Eidsmoe is retired from the U.S. Air Force. Somehow he always forgets to add that (Ret.) to his signature. Yet, it's even worse. Eidsmoe was never a Colonel. When he retired from the military, he was a Lt. Colonel. 

One would think that his juris doctor would be more important when he's pontificating on legal issues, but he leaves it off his byline, only mentioning that little fact in his bio underneath. In fact, Eidsmoe works for Roy Moore's Foundation for Moral Law. You can fuss all you want about Donald Trump selling Bibles, but Roy not only autographed Bibles for his adoring fans, he "copyrighted" the Ten Commandments.

Eidsmoe likes to use the term "pre-born." We're not sure why; it was coined in 1962 and popularized by the first Dune movie. Just stop it!

Over 50% of fertilized eggs are never implanted. Of those which are, many still die. Not every fetus is pre-born. We've had many friends who've been told they were on track to have a healthy baby...until the fetus suddenly died. We have one such friend who can't believe the ignorance of people who use this odd term. We doubt that Eidsmoe cares whom he hurts. He's a bit like the rapper who's been told to dumb it down. 

Lies? Why, he never meant to lie. He's just misunderstood. Yes, misunderstood and perilously close to being the poster boy for White Nationalism...something we'll address another day.

Officials Kill Another Benevolent Project

 

Steve Stanley pretty much said he wanted the Meal Barrel out of Sheffield. What did some others in Sheffield say?

If the city of Sheffield is going to end The Meal Barrel’s lease at the armory, they should offer up the Inspiration Landing property with the only pothole-free roads in Sheffield as a substitute. After all, the taxpayers are footing the bill for it. Since Sheffield has so much money to spend frivolously, I’m sure they could scrape together a few thousand dollars for a building, or they could just finally admit that they have ZERO concern for the residents of this town.



Let's look at the city of Sheffield's leaders:
1. They fell for a project called Inspiration Landing about ten years ago. Where is it now? In litigation over unpaid funds to a consultant, my client.
2. Trains that stop on tracks that are car damaging crossings.
3. After the lawsuit was filed, the city took out $3M in loans to pay for the infrastructure of the roads to nowhere and we are taxed to pay for it by taxes on goods and services. The loans don't end until 2062.
4. Roads are in deplorable condition and damage vehicles
5. The lease on the Meal Barrel to assist needy people with food was terminated on Monday without notice. Needy people now don't have access to food. Penny Freeman did a great job.
6. Blight is subjective about houses and former businesses.
How long will we continue to allow this to happen? Sheffield should be a boom town with local businesses, as envisioned by my wonderful landlords. It's time for a change and its time for a new beginning. It's time for change. These issues should be in full front in the next election and there has to be new leadership, starting with the mayor. It's time for a new beginning.



If the Meal Barrel Project could appoint John Elkington to its Board of Directors, Steve Stanley would probably throw lots of money at them. Then again perhaps the distribution center could be relocated to Inspiration Landing.

Is Mayor Stanley trying to do as much damage to Sheffield that he can before leaving office in abject defeat? What is wrong with the man?

He's Headed to Sheffield City Hall

THE CITY OF FLORENCE BROCCOLI BOARD

 

There are times when the work session for the City of Florence really is a must see before the actual meeting. The 04/16 meeting was certainly in this category.

When I reviewed the agenda items for this meeting, they seemed rather tame with one exception. After all her fighting and humiliation to get the entire Handy recreation center remodeled it had finally paid off for Kaytrina Simmons. Consent agenda item 11(n) was a contract with Ezell, Lambert, and Durham Architects LLC to provide architectural and design services for the renovation of the locker room at the center. Kaytrina and District 1 finally had a victory. But history was rewritten with the remarks from the council concerning this proposal. Never mind that they had dismissed many District 1 citizens and Kaytrina’s pleas to do the entire project when it was bid out originally. Reshuffling of events and statements were about to take place. Now, down the line, beginning with Jimmy Oliver to Bill Griffin, they all applauded this addition to the plans. It was kind of telling though that when it was Dick Jordan’s turn, he made a point of saying he had visited the center for the first time and was appalled at the condition of the leaky roof and general appearance of the locker room area. Kind of tells you how the lead is set in agenda items. Although it would have saved taxpayer money to “do it right” in the first place, at least it was getting done. That was sort of how Kaytrina Simmons framed it when she spoke. No gloating, just quiet acknowledgement and even a thank you to the council that the citizens in her district were being taken care of. This lady wears her wings well.

Since I mentioned the Handy agenda item, I will address the other point of interest at the meeting itself. In remarks from the public, two representatives from Project Say Something addressed the council. They were both upset that an agenda item had not been added that would place a marker condemning the Civil War (?) at the statute of "General Joe Wheeler" in front of the Lauderdale County Courthouse. I thought this was all settled by the legislature in Montgomery, but apparently it was not. It seems that the Southern Poverty Law Center had gone so far as to send out a newsletter saying that an item was on the agenda for 04/16 approving the placement of a marker. The council people sat rather sheepishly while they were speaking. In the remarks from the council, except for Kaytrina Simmons, most did not acknowledge the controversy. Dick Jordan did assure them the item would be on the 04/30 agenda. As I stated, I thought this controversy was settled. It may make for an interesting meeting in two weeks.

Now to the “meat and potatoes” of the council meeting today. Or should I say the “tomato and squash”. That is one of the examples of boards referring to the agriculture board for the Farmers Market when business manager Roderick Metcalf IBEW Local 558, addressed the council at the work session. If the council members and Mayor Andy Betterton thought he would back up their “firm opposition” to HB 436 introduced by state representatives Phillip Pettus and Ben Harrison, they were to some degree WRONG! While Mr. Metcalf did not go so far as to say he approved a constitutional amendment to create a Lauderdale Electrical co-op board, he did say that since 1979 the members of the union had tried to get the city to form an electrical board within the city. He said politics needed to be removed from decisions affecting electricity department employees. He cited the dissatisfaction that many residents in the county feel about being served by the current makeup of the Florence Electricity Dept. He gave examples of how the city had failed to serve even its own linemen. He talked of sending requests forwarded to him from meter readers to be sent for training on the new AMI meters that are to be installed at all customers' panels. How city attorney Bill Musgrove had ignored his request and finally when he did reply after 6 weeks it was only with a two-line email saying that the city had sent 2 customer service representatives, and they would consider sending meter readers at a later date. It was almost poetic that item 11(o) on the consent agenda was a resolution to approve a contract with Allegiant Utilities to install AMI electric meters at all locations in two phases for an amount of $943,487.88 sponsored by Mary McDuffa! It looks like the “later date” is here! He gave another example of an electrical worker who had a pay dispute that had the union notify the mayor’s office as stipulated in the contract with IBEW local back in June of 2023 and it still has not been addressed. He said he understood the frustration those in the county had with the City of Florence and said he had the same frustration level, and many utility workers did as well. He all but said what many customers have said when dealing with the City of Florence. The incompetence is maddening! 

One funny moment for me was when he said that the council seems to not be opposed to having boards for oversight of everything but a public utility. He said there were currently 23 boards in the City of Florence, 16 of which are active. There are boards for housing, tourism, historical preservation, library, beautification, and even trees! And not only did the trees have a board but there was an agri-business board that governed the Farmers' Market. The funniest and truest line of the night was: “Even the okra and squash have a board, WE NEED A BOARD”! He then went over the projections of expanded utility use being 80% greater by the year 2040 and the transmission lines in the coverage area of the Florence electric department will be 10 times greater. He wrapped up by saying that once again after talking to the county representatives he feels that even if a Florence utility board is created instead of a county co-op, the county needs to have representation on a board.

Then, Andy Betterton made a speech. It was kind of obvious he did not want to give up any power. He sort of used scare tactics about electric department employee's benefits, salaries, and retirement benefits were in jeopardy. HB 436 stipulates that these will remain the same for all employees transferring to the newly created board. It states insurance benefits will remain the same. As will retirement. He then stated that a board and anything that does not leave the current regime firmly in place to make all decisions affecting FED employees and customers may result in higher rates and fees. Keep in mind, this is ONE MEETING after a hefty fee raise for utility customers. This appears to be the straw that broke the camel's back out in the county! And it bent a lot of backs in the city too!

Have the Florence electricity department customers in the county had enough of taxation without representation? It seems they have. Has the City had enough of being blindsided by additional fees and charges from the current government of the city of Florence? Time will tell. It was almost comical that the council and mayor stated they were “blind sighted” by the actions of Congressmen Pettus and Harrison. Maybe there will be a “Transparency” board created in the City of Florence...probably an “Onion” board will be created sooner.

New North Florence Dump???

 

A reader has taken this snap of an impromptu dump off Roberts Lane within a stone's throw of Wood Avenue. According to our taxpaying reader, this dump belongs to the city and has been untouched for several ugly months.

Council member Blake Edward's thoughts: 

Our reader's thoughts:

...it was there before he added the paving matter! And if it’s going to be cleaned up after they are finished, they won’t ever be finished and where were they dumping this before?

*****

Back to Tuscumbia's rescued duck: We understand that the water foul wasn't caught in fish netting, but algae. This is totally unacceptable. Let's do better, Tuscumbia.

*****

Those controversial PFAs? Here's an article that may help you in your quest for cleaner water:

Removing PFAs

The Condition of Tuscumbia Spring Park

 

Many who viewed the video of the rescue of the tangled duck at Spring Park in Tuscumbia mentioned how horrible the spring looked. First, the unlucky duck had become tangled in discarded fishing net. How long had the net been there?

Second, see that yellow object directly below the kayak? It appears to be a plastic bottle. Obviously, human nature being what it is, we can't expect the spring to be pristine seven days a week, but groundskeepers need to do better.

*****

Next, a dumping site just beside a major Florence thoroughfare? Sadly, the answer is yes. 

More tomorrow...

City of Florence Water

 

There's been some banter on other sites about the healthcare risks of City of Florence water. First, how much tap water do you drink? Walmart sells water that allegedly goes through multi filters for a very low price. It's in just-the-right size bottles and can be easily refrigerated without a pitcher.

That still leaves water used for bathing and hand washing. Are you very concerned about PFAs? The Florence Water Department has announced that it's working on bringing these levels down. If you're still concerned, you can purchase a special filter to remove most of these PFAs from your tap.

Some filters can cost as much as 1K, but the Culligan filter pictured above goes for as little as $100.00. Check around, you may find an even better price.

Thanks to the Florence Water Department for making citizens safer!

*****

Florence Police Chief to Retire

 

Chief Ron Tyler of Florence has officially announced his retirement. He has the opportunity to continue in private law enforcement work, but will he? Will he run for Florence Mayor?

We've already been receiving comments on the possibility that Tyler will attempt to unseat Betterton. We're pretty sure Steven T. Otter could do it. Our comments are running 6 to 1 against Tyler.

It's going to be a long 2025...

Buy Otter News Merch!

Did You Get Fentanyl or Other Drugs at the LCDC?

 

We've been asked to discuss fentanyl at both the Lauderdale County men's and women's facilities. It's easy to see how it could be slipped in; how can body checks be more thorough?

One death due to a fentanyl overdose made the news, but are there other incidents where prisoners just sleep it off? We've been told this is often true in the women's jail. If so, we want you to contact us.

Your stories will be published anonymously. We will keep a record of who reports this drug behavior in case the person wants to testify or report in some way later.

We certainly don't believe the two Lauderdale County Jails are the only ones experiencing this kind of behavior and drug related illness. Just remember, better cavity checks will bring complaints from prisoners that most don't want to deal with.

What do you do then?

*****

You've heard "as cute as a speckled pup?" Well...that's me. My name is Red and I'm a male, 11 month-old, mixed breed. Come see me at the Florence shelter in the industrial park:

Illness & Delegation at the LCDC

 

Delegation of duties? We might as well say it: It's a crap shoot. Almost anyone can pretend to care and be competent during the two or three interviews it takes to get a job at McDonald's...or the Lauderdale County Detention Center. If you're 19 and can present a good image, you'll get the job as "corrections officer" at the LCDC.

Now comes the hard part. Reporting? The officer will report to some sort of shift leader who will report to assistant head of the LCDC (think Vicky White) who will report to the head who will report to the sheriff. So is the sheriff to blame if an officer four levels below him whom he's never even seen really mucks it up?

Here's a tragic story where everything went wrong, and no one seemed to be doing their job:

Scottie Davis suffered a stroke while in the Lauderdale County Alabama Detention Center @ approximately 2:30 am on September 24 2018. According to Detention Center reports, corrections officers contacted the Detention Center nurse Kylie Jones at home and informed her that Scottie had fell and possibly injured his right shoulder and he only grunts. The report states nurse Jones told the Corrections officers to place Scottie in a holding cell and monitor him until she got to work which they did at 3:00 am. Upon arrival at the Detention Center at approximately 6:00 am, nurse Kylie Jones is observed on video checking Scottie's vital signs and his right shoulder, and when Scottie is spoken to, he just grunts. She then leaves. 

At between 6:00 am and 6:30 am, Scottie can be seen on video getting up and trying to get someone's attention at the door of the holding cell and attempts to balance himself against the wall with his left arm because he can't use his right arm and has only partial use of his right leg. He then looses his balance and falls across the room against the wall. After a while he gets back up and attempts to make it to toilet but falls and hits head on the toilet. (This is being monitored in the control room of the Detention Center). 

Nurse Kylie Jones along with Corrections officers are in and out checking Scottie's vital signs during the day. Vicky White hasn't been seen or is not in the reports until 12:00 hrs, hours after Scottie was placed in the holding cell. At approximately 1:00 pm she entered the holding cell and checks on Scottie's condition and summons nurse Kylie Jones, and upon examination, Vicky White informs them that Scottie is being sent to the hospital.

This account from Scottie's father leaves many unanswered questions. We see fault from corrections officers, nurse, and assistant head of the facility. In other words, there's enough guilt to go around. 

So how do we make sure this never happens again?

No More Florence Electricity Department? - Part II

 

So far, many readers are either already in favor of an electric board for the entire county or at least giving it a great deal of consideration. Here's some more thoughts on the subject from the Alabama Public Utilities Alliance:

Please be aware, Representative Ben Harrison, of the Lauderdale County Delegation, introduced HB436 (attached) impacting the ownership and operations of the City of Florence Electricity Department in creating the Lauderdale County Electric Board. There are many troubling concerns with this legislative proposal especially considering it uses a constitutional amendment to dictate energy policy for the entire state of Alabama in addition to skirting the Territorial Act of 1984 & 1985. This precedent-setting language could impact all utilities including electric, gas, water/wastewater utilities as well as cooperatives and investor-owned utilities.

Current Situation:

HB436 was introduced in the Alabama House of Representatives yesterday, April 9, 2024, and could take as little as 5 legislative days to pass both chambers. The State Legislature is currently on day 21 out of a total of 30 legislative meeting days. Since this is Local Legislation, members of the Lauderdale County Delegation will need to be in support of the bill to move forward. Currently, there is a hold on the bill which means at least one member of the delegation has concerns. HB436 will not be considered until all members agree to move it forward. Should it move forward and be considered by the House of Representatives Local Legislation Standing Committee, it will be ever so important for committee members to hear from you and your Mayors, in opposition to the bill. Attached is a list of committee members for your reference. Should you have a member of your delegation on the committee, please contact them today. If you do not have a member on the committee, please contact a member of your delegation and ask them to speak with the Chairman, Alan Baker, to share their opposition.

While the legislative days continue to count down, there is time for this bill to move. It is important to push back on HB436 as it sets a precedent impacting all utilities across the state. 

And from one other in the know:

This did not just pop into the local legislatures heads. It is being driven by by others that have some kind of influence with our representatives.

THIS IS A DANGEROUS PRECEDENT TO SET!!!

No More Florence Electricity Department? Part I

 

Little birds are chirping all over the place. If you live in Florence...or Lauderdale County...and you're concerned about utility rates, you need to read this:

This is another example of how Bills quietly get started before the general public is aware, like the St. Florian annexation bill. This Bill started in the local legislation committee and was introduced yesterday. It concerns the Electric Dept. Interesting. May or may not happen. THIS IS ALL PUBLIC INFORMATION. YOU JUST HAVE TO KNOW WHERE TO FIND IT.


Questions that need to be asked.


Who is behind it?
What’s the purpose?
How will it affect current employees, or other City utility operations and costs?
How will it affect rates?

Link to the bill attached.

https://alison.legislature.state.al.us/files/pdfdocs/SearchableInstruments/2024RS/HB436-int.pdf

*****

So what does the current head of the Florence Electricity Department think of this bill - a bill introduced by Philip Pettus and Ben Harrison. This affects the City of Florence more than any other area in the county. Is Florence Mayor Andy Betterton on top of this. We need some answers before this is shoved down the throats of the public.

Tomorrow: Some not so nice rumblings...

Help Needed for Injured Dog

 

What kind of person intentionally hurts a dog? Hint: The answer is an evil person. Pictured above is a young dog the Colbert shelter has named Rocky. Ten days ago, an evil/mentally ill/a**hole threw Rocky from a car near Cherokee.

Rocky had almost everything going against him. He was undernourished. He had injuries from hitting the pavement. He also had ingested rat poison. There's no way to know if someone forced the poison on Rocky or if, in his hunger, he ate something contaminated with the pesticide.

Now, some good news: Rocky came through all his surgeries and is improving. If you want to donate to his medical fund, you can use this PayPal link: colbertanimalservices@gmail.com

Do you have any idea who did this to Rocky? If you do, call the Colbert County Sheriff's Department at 256-383-0741.

FLAS Volunteers Needed!

 

The Florence-Lauderdale Animal Services needs volunteers to help with traveling adoptions. If all goes well, such small towns as Rogersville, Lexington, and Waterloo will soon hold adoption fairs.

You may call 256-904-0517 to make arrangements. Where else can you do so much good and have a fun day at the same time?

*****

Hi, I'm Jago. I'm a four-month old male mixed breed in need of new digs. Come see me at the Florence shelter in the industrial park:

Attn: Former LCDC Inmates

 

Have...

You,

Your friend(s),

Your family

been an inmate in the Lauderdale County Detention Center and encountered a corrections officer who...

Hurt you physically,

Sexually harassed you (Casey White need not respond)

Denied you medical care,

Stole from you?

If so, please contact us at:

Shoalanda.Speaks@gmail.com (all replies are confidential).

We Thought It Looked Too Good for Andy

 

Sometimes our eyes can play tricks on us. It just happened while perusing the City of Florence Facebook page. Yes, we thought Andy was looking much better than usual. Then we noticed it was Roy Orbison.

Oh, well.This show looks interesting, so mark your calendars!

Big Brother (ParkMobile) Will Be Watching in Florence

 

Florence Mayor Handy Dandy Andy Betterton says that he's excited for the City to be partnering with ParkMobile. The question may be just how excited should you be that ParkMobile could have a great deal of information about you which it forwards on a regular basis to the City and who knows who else.

The mobile app collects the following:

License plate number

Phone number

E-mail address

Vehicle's nickname (if provided)

Bank card info (allegedly not given out)

Location of meter or lot where parked

Length of time spent in parking place

In other words, whoever at the City of Florence with access to the parking data could possibly see that your daughter "Sissy" parked in front of Trowbridge's at lunch time last week and that you (or someone driving your car labeled as "Self") spent two hours parked in front of On the Rocks last month.

While bank information is encrypted, the company's records were hacked by Russian cybercriminals in 2021. The information was then posted online.

In other words, keep several quarters handy when parking at a Florence meter.

****

The Solar Eclipse: What You Need to Know

 

When? It's coming Monday, April 8th, so get ready!

What? You won't see a total eclipse here in North Alabama, but you will see 84% of the sun covered.

Time? You'll see as much of the eclipse as possible starting at 1:59 p.m.

Glasses? Get medical grade viewing glasses. We paid $7.00 for ours.

If you miss it? You can catch the next one in August 2044.

Florence Detective on Those Malevolent Meters

 

READ BEFORE SIGNING

Shoalanda has been covering much of my work for me this week. I have been sort of stretched thin and I truly appreciate her reporting on the proposals of the Florence city council. The main issues this “go-round” were the metered parking area expansion and the raise in fees charged by the Florence Electricity Department. This agenda item entailed higher fees for a variety of services and a few infractions. The “metered parking” expansion was just that: adding parking areas that required a quarter to park in 30 minute intervals all over town. Let me report on the fee raise for the utility dept first.

It passed. Not without opposition from two council members. Jimmy Oliver noted the high cost of food, shelter and practically everything else these days and said he was basing his no vote on not causing further hardship to the citizens of Florence. I agree and applaud him for his stance. Kaytrina Simmons stated that she represented a district which had many living below the poverty level and could not see passing these fees now and especially at this level of a raise. Something tells me she had read Shoalanda’s blog post: Electric Meter Mayhem! Once again, this reporter commends her for thinking of those who could least afford a hefty increase in a reconnect fee at a time in their lives when they were suffering. Bill Griffin, Michele Eubanks, Dick Jordan and Blake Edwards seemed to only be concerned with passing the agenda item. Michele Eubanks did thank Mary McDuffa for agreeing to post places where someone who was about to get their lights cut off might go to get help in the form of charity on the FED webpage. But she still voted YES on the agenda item to raise fees, despite her “charitable” leanings.

Then there was the three-ring circus that became the discussion of the agenda item to expand metered parking area in the city of Florence. Chief of police Ron Tyler said in the work session there would be no additional physical parking meters installed. Never mind that the title of the agenda item had “regarding PARKING METERS” in the title! Chief Tyler gave a rather lengthy presentation with an analogy of expanding the parking area that could be charged to a Park Mobil Application on your smart phone was like building a house and wiring it for electricity. He used an example of wiring a garage although you may not actually install electrical outlets. Personally, the analogy seemed off to me. We were talking about parking spaces not electrical outlets but let each teach to their comfort level. Evidently, Bill Griffin did not understand the lesson.

Bill Griffin started the discussion on the agenda item at the council meeting by saying that East Florence would be exempt from additional parking fees. When the other council members started low key disputing this statement, Griffin assured them this came from Ron Tyler himself. He said he had talked to all the businesses along the Sweetwater area of Huntsville Rd, and they were 100% against metered parking. Jimmy Oliver stated that the parking lot could be used for “premium” parking in events like Sweetwater Days, but Bill Griffin stuck to his guns that East Florence was exempt. Blake Edwards even chimed in that a vote to approve making an area metered parking for an event would need to be approved by the council. The vote was taken and all but Griffin and Kaytrina Simmons voted yes. Here is the clincher, there is not language in the ordinance they had just voted on that...

1. prevented the police from designating at any time an area they were approving to be made into metered parking using the Park Mobil app.

2. the council did NOT have the power to approve or deny the action to “flip the switch” on the app at any time to make it metered parking. That authority was with the chief of police and NOT the city clerk as even the chief had said was written into the ordinance.

3. AND nowhere in the ordinance does it appear to be written that East Florence is designated as “exempt.”

On another note, for some reason a portion of “remarks from the public” and the closing remarks of each council member was cut from the live streaming video on the City of Florence Facebook page. Be this a conspiracy or incompetence, this reporter can relay that one of the “remarks from the public” involved a citizen going to the podium and reading the ordinance to the council members. His closing remarks were: Do any of you READ the ordinances you are to vote on before the meeting?

Attention Muscle Shoals Citizens: Time for School!

 

If you are a Muscle Shoals Citizen, you will want to pay close attention to today's lesson. If you're buying multiple 60,000 dollar vehicles, you are excused from this class. If you are struggling to make your house payment, feed your family, and buy gas for your old car, you may want to move to the front of the class.

CLASS, you will be tested on how well you understand this lesson in August 2025. 

Muscle Shoals Mayor Lockhard had a fairly new Chevrolet Tahoe bought and maintained by the taxpayers that he and his wife have traveled in comfort in for many trips.

The previous Parks & Recreation director had a fairly new pickup truck for the purpose of the job before Mayor Lockhard fired/pushed out/run off/whatever he did to him.

Then Mayor Lockhard immediately appointed a new director and awarded her his $60,000 Chevrolet Tahoe, which meant the taxpayers  bought him a brand new Chevrolet Tahoe.

Within a short time, Mr. Lockhard (read: you the taxpayer) bought another $60,000 Chevrolet Tahoe for the City Clerk Brittney Walters. 

Why did Mr. Lockhard not give his slightly used Tahoe to Ms. Walters if she was in such dire need of another vehicle. Consider carefully the use of vehicles in the Park & Rec department, considering the director already had a fairly new department pickup truck. 

Now class, let's look at this a little deeper.

Muscle Shoals is a relatively small city. On a daily basis, Mr. Lockhard may drive 20 miles in his official duties. That's 100 miles per week.

The Park & Rec director may drive the same in the luxury vehicle between the parks to make sure they are in immaculate shape for recruiting visitors and new families to the city.

The City Clerk may go to the bank and post office, which are across the parking lot from City Hall. Another piece of this particular baffling logic is the fact that Ms. Walters has 2 other city vehicles at her disposal as shown in the slides on the screen. Granted, these other 2 vehicles were used by the 2 previous City Clerks and have low mileage, but they are not new and quite as fancy. 

The Quiz today is multiple choice:

How many vehicles does it take for one person to walk to the post office and bank next door?    3      2     1    0

Should potholes and damaged city property that pose a safety violation or threat to children be repaired before new vehicles are added to the growing fleets of city employees?    Y    N

Are you over taxed because of extravagant spending by Mayor Lockhard and Clerk Walters?     Y    N

Would you like your taxes to be lowered because of less spending by Mayor Lockhard and Clerk Walters?    Y    N

Talk among yourselves. Prepare for the big test. It will be in August 2025.

I will give you a 24 hr notice of the next class. If you think this lecture was informative just wait till the next lecture in this series.

It will not be cancelled, employees are encouraged to attend, and the press is welcome. You will not want to miss it.

Class dismissed for now. 

#FACTSMATTER #EDUCATE #VOTE #GETRIDOFTHERASCALS #VOTEAUGUST2025